SI

Padres Sell to José E. Feliciano for MLB-Record $3.9 Billion

The Padres sale shatters an MLB record.

Edited April 17Apr 17 by caulfield12

This sale is breaking a record but may not reset the market for MLB franchises. The Padres have a unique set of circumstances that likely elevated the price. San Diego is the eighth biggest city in the United States, and has an affluent population with money to burn. A dedicated fanbase has packed Petco Park for years, driving up in-park revenue.

That said, the city’s media market ranks only 30th due to geographic constraints. The Pacific Ocean to the west, an international border to the south, Orange County to the north and a largely empty desert to the east restrict the reach of the television market. While that has long been an issue for franchises in the city, it may not impact the Padres much in the future. MLB's new collective bargaining agreement is expected to pool all television revenue and distribute it evenly among the league's teams. That would be a gigantic boost to the franchise's finances.

There is a long way to go, but a change like that would end the only aspect depressing the team’s value.

Edited April 17Apr 17 by caulfield12

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/mlb/san-diego-padres/

The uniqueness ultimately prompted a record valuation, even though the new owners will take on what sources have described as hundreds of millions of dollars of debt.

The opportunity to land a baseball franchise in Southern California, particularly in a city with no other major professional sports team, made the Padres especially appealing, as did their loyal fan base. The Padres have operated without a local media contract since the early part of the 2023 season, a major reason their revenues began to fall. But MLB's hopes to centralize local media by 2028 could ease those concerns.

espn.com

Edited April 17Apr 17 by caulfield12

Wow, the new owner must have made a fortune on royalties from "Feliz Navidad".

....of course, different guy. Bad news, though, he owns a ........GASP...... private equity firm! I guess the Padres are just as doomed as the White Sox.

Edited April 18Apr 18 by 77 Hitmen

Pretty sure nobody in soxtalk is miffed

3 hours ago, Kyyle23 said:

Pretty sure nobody in soxtalk is miffed

Yeah, I'm puzzled as to who on this site is miffed about this sale.

Ripping on the Padres as a White Sox fan is hilarious.  When is the last time the White Sox had 4 winning seasons in a 5 year stretch and made the playoffs 3 times in that window?

WestEddy

"Of course it is. The White Sox certainly had 4 winning seasons in 5 around the time they won a World Series, something the Padres have never done, and probably won't do with this bunch of players. It's funny guys like you would rather their team never win a championship, just as long as you get to root for money being spent. LOL"

https://nypost.com/2026/04/19/us-news/apple-to-close-san-diego-store-amid-malls-declining-conditions/

https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/padres-3-9b-sale-insane-115125269.html

The deal sent shockwaves throughout baseball.

“That’s insane,” one executive said.

“I’m floored,’” said one owner.

“The math makes no sense,” said another.

“Most people in financial circles felt the value was worth $2.5 billion," another owner said, “at the most."

When you consider the franchise was considered to be worth $1.9 billion in 2025 by Forbes, and that Shohei Ohtani didn’t suddenly put on a Padres uniform, the real stars of their record sale may have been the Padres’ investment bankers.

Whether it is stupid money, or it turns out to be a shrewd investment, only time will tell.

Yet, in the meantime, that stagging $3.9 billion just put a sledgehammer to the argument that the game isn’t prospering and needs an overhaul in the next collective bargaining agreement.

“I’m just glad," one executive said, “that I don’t have to be the guy to explain to the players association why this sale won’t matter in negotiations.”

Will the sale diminish MLB’s argument for a salary cap?

“How can it not?" one owner said.

Nationals Twins up next…

Edited April 20Apr 20 by caulfield12

8 hours ago, caulfield12 said:

https://nypost.com/2026/04/19/us-news/apple-to-close-san-diego-store-amid-malls-declining-conditions/

Some mall that is 5 miles away from Petco Park is struggling. What does this have to do with the sale of the Padres?

2 minutes ago, 77 Hitmen said:

Some mall that is 5 miles away from Petco Park is struggling. What does this have to do with the sale of the Padres?

Even as the mall economy transitions in the 30th largest market in MLB, there’s still the oportunity for massive profits if owners invest well into their products.

obviously losing NBA and NFL franchises also helped a lot too

Edited April 20Apr 20 by caulfield12

3 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/padres-3-9b-sale-insane-115125269.html

Yet, in the meantime, that stagging $3.9 billion just put a sledgehammer to the argument that the game isn’t prospering and needs an overhaul in the next collective bargaining agreement.

I disagree. The Padres are definitely one of the "haves" in MLB. How does this take a "sledgehammer" to the competitive imbalance issue that MLB is facing?

The Rays sold for less than half that amount. The Sox estimated valuation has actually dropped the last two years. Nobody has been arguing that the top 12-15 teams in MLB are doing very well.

5 minutes ago, 77 Hitmen said:

Yet, in the meantime, that stagging $3.9 billion just put a sledgehammer to the argument that the game isn’t prospering and needs an overhaul in the next collective bargaining agreement.

I disagree. The Padres are definitely one of the "haves" in MLB. How does this take a "sledgehammer" to the competitive imbalance issue that MLB is facing?

The Rays sold for less than half that amount. The Sox estimated valuation has actually dropped the last two years. Nobody has been arguing that the top 12-15 teams in MLB are doing very well.

https://www.sportico.com/leagues/baseball/2026/san-diego-padres-sale-business-revenue-1234890606/

Because all those teams outside the top 10-12 rsn values are going to end up splitting the shared pool thirty ways instead of SD at $30 million and the Dodgers at $334 or whatever accounting figure they're utilizing...

If you run your team well and invest into that product, you can still generate massive returns that outpace the S&P 500 index while joining an exclusive club that confers status/esteem that just having $$$ doesn't.

fwiw LAA will get a massive bump with a new stadium.

Nationals and Twins are trickier...shared market with Baltimore and the Twins in flyover territory with RSN issues as well as a tremendously frustrated/disenchanted fanbase.

But 15th in power rankings today much better than the 25ish rank most expected on August 1st, 2025.

Edited April 20Apr 20 by caulfield12

https://www.minnpost.com/state-government/capitol-conversations/2026/04/hcmc-ann-rests-passion-for-the-twins-minneapoliss-hospital/

Edited April 21Apr 21 by caulfield12

"Meanwhile, Forbes estimates that the franchise is worth $5.25 billion, and CNBC values Henry’s Fenway Sports Group—which also owns Liverpool Football Club and, until recently, the Pittsburgh Penguins, among other properties—at $14.58 billion. Two years ago, as the Dodgers were signing two-way star Shohei Ohtani, Henry was in negotiations for his new venture, the Strategic Sports Group, to invest $3 billion into the PGA Tour. 

Meanwhile, the Red Sox raise ticket prices every year. Fenway Park is now the most expensive venue in the sport. Boston fans, who used to greet Henry with tearful “thank yous”, now chant, “Sell the team” at games."

www.si.com